Altra is one of the fastest growing companies in the trail running market segment. I can remember a few years ago when they released their first trail shoe, the Lone Peak. It was a remarkable shoe in that it offered a zero drop platform, a foot shaped toe box, and ample cushioning underfoot. In the last few years, I’ve seen subsequent models of the Lone Peak explode in popularity on trails all over the US. If you find yourself reading any shoe recommendation forum for thru-hikes or ultra trail running races, you’ll find that the Lone Peaks seems to find their way towards the top of just about every list. Altra’s newest iteration, the Lone Peak 3.0, is now available for purchase, and from my first few impressions, it picks up right were the old models left off. Most importantly, with the new 3.0, Altra has corrected a few of the imperfections users had with the 2.0 and 2.5, namely the lack security in the uppers. This shoe is going to a monster seller for Altra, and I expect to see a ton of them out on the trail in the months ahead. Here is my preview of the Altra Lone Peak 3.0.
Support Trail to Peak by purchasing the Altra Lone Peak 3.0 on Amazon:
Men’s Lone Peak 3.0 | Women’s Lone Peak 3.0
Fit And Feel:
This is arguably the greatest area of improvement for the Lone Peak 3.0. The Lone Peak 2.0 had way too much volume. No matter how much I tried to cinch down the laces, the shoe always felt a little sloppy. There was also a bit of an issue with the amount of padding in the heel. The 2.0 felt like a DC skating shoe I wore in junior high. The 2.5 made slight improvements on the 2.0, but lateral stability was still lacking, and the shoe allowed my feet to slide around just a little too much, especially on downhills. The 3.0 made big changes to the upper, which I’ll cover below, with stitched overlays that really give the shoe a great improvement with lateral stability. The 3.0 keeps the zero drop and foot shaped toebox of it’s predecessors, but the overall fit and feel is a much more precise and polished shoe wearing experience. The Lone Peak is never going to be a Salomon SLAB shoe in regards to fit and precision, but this is a step in the right direction. When I first saw that this shoe was going to a sticked midfoot overlay, I was a bit worried as to how that would effect the overall experience. I’m happy to say that there are no uncomfortable internal seams or hot spots on the 3.0. The 3.0 has a great fit in the heel as well, without too much padding, and no slippage for my foot.
I’ve worn a 12.5 in all of my Lone Peak’s, and they all fit a bit different. The 2.0 was too big, and I should have ordered a size 12. The 2.5 fit well at size 12.5, the same is the case for the 3.0 at 12.5. I’ve read a few reports of people saying this shoe fits small and that it’s best to order a half size larger than what you usually wear. I can see this as the 3.0 might be slightly smaller than the same size of the 2.5, but it works well for my foot. Your miles may vary.
My Lone Peak 3.0 came in at 12.21oz (346.3g) per shoe in a size 12.5.
Uppers:
As I mentioned above, Altra has made some serious changes to the upper of the Lone Peak for this 3.0 edition. A new stitched wrap fully encompasses the heel, wraps the midfoot, and protects the toe box. It’s a very big change for the Lone Peak 3.0 over the 2.5. I can already feel a huge change in security and stability, but I’m assuming this will also add a lot of life and durability as well. This wrap acts as a rand barrier as well, so it will be interesting to see how the Lone Peak 3.0 drains when wet. This looks to be the only issue I could see arising, as that much material on the upper might inhibit drainage. On the toebox and the medial arch portion of the upper, Altra uses a heat transferred plastic overlay that sits just under the stitched overlay. It’s actually surprising how little breathable mesh is on this shoe. The mesh only runs through the toebox and the upper portion of the midfoot. With temperatures in the triple digits here at home, I’ll get a chance to see if this effects the shoes temperature management quickly.
As always, Altra goes with a foot shaped toebox on the 3.0 that feels just as good if not better in comparison to previous models. The tongue on this shoe is fully gusseted, and the laces and lace grommets sit nicely on the top of the foot without creating pressure points. Unlike previous models of the Lone Peak, I barely needed to tighten the laces to have this shoe feeling just right.
Another carry over from previous version of the Lone Peak is Altra’s Gaiter Trap, a velcro tab on the heel of the shoe that allows for quick and easy attachment of trail gaiters.
Midsole:
The midsole of the 3.0 is very similar to the 2.0 and 2.5 with a thin layer of A-bound on top of a layer of EVA. A-bound is a resilient recycled material like that of a bouncy ball. I’ve really liked the combination of A-bound and EVA on previous models of the Lone Peak, and am glad they kept it around. The midsole of the 3.0 is zero drop with 20mm in the heel and forefoot. Altra places their Stone Guard rockplate in between the midsole and outsole for impact dispersion. Although the 3.0 midsole seems very similar to the 2.0 and 2.5, it feels a little softer underfoot. Like the previous version of the Lone Peak, this is not a rigid midsole. Although the upper added in the stability department, the midsole still feels like it will offer a lot of flexibility. This can be good and bad, depending on your preferences.
Support Trail to Peak by purchasing the Altra Lone Peak 3.0 on Amazon:
Men’s Lone Peak 3.0 | Women’s Lone Peak 3.0
Outsole:
The other massive change for the Lone Peak 3.0 comes with the outsole. This is a brand new outsole design with a change to the rubber compounds used as well. Altra calls this new outsole MaxTrac. MaxTrac is a combination of hexagons, triangles, and trapezoids. The black feels like a sticky rubber and the blue rubber feels a little more firm and durable. For me, this is the most important improvement to the Lone Peak lineup. The outsoles for the 2.0 did not have very good durability, and I seemed to lose lugs after every run and hike. Things were improved on the 2.5, but the overall grip on varying surfaces left a lot to be desired. The 3.0 looks like Altra may have finally gotten the outsole for the Lone Peak figured out. Time will tell.
Closing Thoughts:
The Altra Lone Peak 3.0 is a very nice update to the 2.5. The brand new uppers and redesigned outsoles are welcome changes to the Lone Peak line up. The fit and feel of the new upper may not be for everyone with the overall fit and feel a little less spacious. For me, I like the increased stability and precision. The midsole of the Lone Peak stays the same, which I know many will be happy about. The outsole will be what makes of breaks the new Lone Peak in my opinion. If it’s sticky and durable, Altra will have a real all star on their hands. I expect to see a ton of Lone Peak 3.0s out on the trail this year. I love that Altra is the only trail shoe company that I know of that specifically markets their trail running shoes to hikers as well. We’re a large but overlooked community, I’m glad to see Altra taking notice.
Support Trail to Peak by purchasing the Altra Lone Peak 3.0 on Amazon:
Men’s Lone Peak 3.0 | Women’s Lone Peak 3.0
